FIG. 1 depicts a conventional method 10 for fabricating side shields for a conventional magnetic recording head. The method starts after a main pole and top gap have been provided. Any material adjacent to the side gap and top gap may also have been removed. A single bottom antireflective coating (BARC) layer is provided, via step 12. Step 12 includes spin coating an organic BARC layer such that the BARC layer covers at least the main pole and the region around the pole.
A photoresist mask is provided on the BARC layer, via step 14. Step 14 may include providing a photoresist layer, selectively exposing portions of the photoresist layer to light, and using a developer to remove portions of the photoresist layer. The photoresist mask has an aperture for the side shields. The side shield(s) may then be provided, via step 16. Step 16 may include plating the magnetic materials, such as NiFe, for the shields. The side shields may be part of a wraparound shield.
FIG. 2 depicts an ABS view of a conventional magnetic recording head 50 formed using the method 10. The magnetic recording transducer 50 may be a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head. The conventional magnetic recording transducer 50 may be a part of a merged head including the write transducer 50 and a read transducer (not shown). Alternatively, the magnetic recording head may be a write head including only the write transducer 50. The conventional transducer 50 includes an underlayer 52, side gap 54, main pole 60, side shields 70, top (write) gap 62, and optional top (trailing) shield 72.
The main pole 60 resides on an underlayer 52 and includes sidewalls. The underlayer 52 may also include a leading shield. The sidewalls of the conventional main pole 60 form an angle with the down track direction at the ABS and may form a different angle with the down track direction at the distance recessed from the ABS. The width of the main pole 60 may also change in a direction recessed from the ABS.
The side shields 70 are separated from the main pole 60 by a side gap 54. The side shields 70 extend a distance back from the ABS. The trailing shield 72 is separated from the main pole by gap 62. The side shields 70 and trailing shield 72 may be considered to form a wraparound shield.
Although the conventional magnetic recording head 50 functions, there are drawbacks. In particular, the conventional magnetic recording head 50 may suffer from issues due to photoresist residue. For example, resist residue 80 may reside under the top gap 62. The resist residue 80 may remain after fabrication because the photoresist may be difficult to develop under the top gap 62. The presence of the resist residue 80 may adversely affect reliability and performance. Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for improving the performance of a magnetic recording head.